The semiquincentennial is just a summer away, and all of Philly’s events directly celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday will be complemented by big sports events in and around the region.
While the MLB All-Star Game and the FIFA Men’s World Cup will share the summer spotlight with the nation’s birthday, the sports train first arrives in March, with first- and second-round games of the NCAA March Madness men’s basketball tournament. Then, the weekend before Memorial Day, the 108th PGA Championship will be very close by at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square.
For Ryan Ogle, tournament director for the Championship, not being in July is not an issue.
“People talk about 2026 when they talk about the semiquincentennial, right? It’s not July Fourth 2026,” he said. “And to be able to kind of kick off all the celebrations, in a way, I think is a great opportunity for us.”
For the non-golf fans out there, the PGA Championship is one of professional golf’s four prestigious major tournaments in every year. Only the Masters, in Augusta, Ga., stays at the same venue every time. The British Open is played around the United Kingdom, while the U.S. Open and PGA Championship roam around America.
Aronimink last hosted the PGA Championship in 1962, when golf legend Gary Player won it. Last year, it was at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. Players competed for a total purse of $18.5 million with the winner, Xander Schauffle, bagging $3.33 million. This year, it will be at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. N.C.
Along with the cash, players compete to get their names etched onto the Wanamaker Trophy, named after department store heir and Philly native Lewis Rodman Wanamaker.
The organization that runs the tournament, the PGA of America, also puts together the Senior PGA Championship and the Women’s PGA Championship and, in 2020, Aronimink became the first course to host all three. Ogle said that the economic impact of the event exceeds $130 million.
Beyond the tournament’s prestige, money and elite golfers, being a part of the lineup for America’s 250th birthday year ups the ante.
“Our event’s been around since 1916, so it has a storied history. But when you can tag on to something as historic as the celebration and the anniversary of the country, I think it’s great for us,” Ogle said. “And we’re excited to add yet another great thing for people to do to celebrate that year.”
While the “inside the ropes” preparations to set up and condition the golf course and accommodate the players will happen closer to the tournament weekend, planning “outside the ropes” — focused on things like operations, logistics, traffic, parking, volunteers, tickets and corporate hospitality — began back in August 2023.
“You’re building a stadium on a golf course,” Ogle said. “So we have to find the parking, get them there, the ticket scanning, the concessions, the restrooms, all in a temporary environment, on a golf course.”
Ogle says the tournament will take lessons from previous tournaments in the area, including the 2013 U.S. Open, held at Merion Golf Club in close-by Haverford Township. which provided insight into parking, transportation and working with a tight property.
He also plans to lean into Philly’s culture when possible. Concessions will include the expected cheesesteaks and pretzels. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are all-inclusive with the tournament tickets. The passion and enthusiasm of Philly sports fans will also be embraced, and Ogle said he’s eager to see what it adds to the excitement.
“Golf is traditionally a little bit more reserved. Of course, we’re going to be respectful of the competition taking place,” he said. “But I think we’ll see a little bit of rowdiness, a little bit of fun from the Philadelphia fans, that maybe we wouldn’t see in other communities.”
Ogle said he enjoyed the Eagles’ Super Bowl run, and how the city and the team brought everyone along for the ride.
“I think you learn a lot about a community or a market when some of their sports teams have success, and I think they’re doing some really cool things and creative things to make people feel a part of it,” Ogle said, citing Visit Philly’s placing phones for Birds fans around the city as an example.
Tickets are not available yet for the 2026 PGA Tournament, but fans can identify their interest, as well as look through volunteer and hospitality opportunities, at the tournament’s website.
For professional golf this year, the PGA Tour’s Truist Championship runs from May 8 to 11 at Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course in Flourtown, Montgomery County, with tickets available here.
